Don't mention intervention but cash keeps flowing

The Federal Government will spend nearly $620 million over the next 10 years for extra police, night patrols and legal services in Northern Territory communities.

The move is part of its Stronger Futures legislation, which replaces the Commonwealth's intervention powers in the Territory.

There will be a budget for 60 police officers to continue working in remote communities.

Four new remote area police complexes will be rolled out over the ten-year period.

Night patrol officers who have been working under the Emergency Response legislation will continue to be employed in 80 communities.

The Government says it will also keep funding substance abuse and police dog programs.

It says these measures have played an important part in shutting down illegal drug trafficking in remote areas.

Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin used a visit to the NT Police Dog Operations Unit in Darwin to announce the package.

She says the Federal Government will also spend more than $220 million on Indigenous outstations in the Territory.

The money will go toward essential services, including access to power, water and sewerage.

It will also contribute to municipal services such as road maintenance, garbage collection and dog control programs.

The Territory Government will contribute about $15 million.

Despite this, Chief Minister Paul Henderson says Canberra needs to spend more than it has promised on remote Indigenous outstations.

"It really is nowhere near enough," he said.

"The fact is that we need to see significant money going into not only improving the housing infrastructure in homelands and outstations, but also the power, the water, the sewerage, upgrading the roads."

About 9,000 Aboriginal people live in more than 500 small outstations and homelands in some of the most remote regions of the Territory.

In 2009, the Federal Government announced it would no longer spend $20 million a year on supporting these living areas.

The Territory Government argued at the time that the move would force outstations to shut down.

In the face of criticism, Canberra kept money flowing to the communities as an interim arrangement.

The latest move to keep funding the outstations appears to be a policy about-face.

Northern Land Council chief executive Kim Hill has welcomed the Federal Government financial package.

He says the preservation of homeland communities is integral to ending Aboriginal disadvantage in the Territory.

"The last thing we want is funding ceased and Aboriginal peoples forced off their traditional lands and into growth towns, which would undoubtedly lead to more dysfunction and more disadvantage," he said.

But Mr Hill said additional commitments would be needed to address over-crowding issues in remote and regional areas.

"It is disappointing both the Federal and Territory Governments have ruled out extra housing for outstations," he said.

"We see this as a significant problem.

"The NLC will continue to lobby governments on this important issue."

Mr Hill also expressed his disappointment that the Territory Government would only be contributing $1.5m annually toward the package.

Meanwhile, Ms Macklin says she will also work with the Federal Government to provide additional funding for mental health facilities in the Territory's remote areas.

A Territory parliamentary inquiry yesterday tabled its "Gone too soon" report into suicide rates in the NT, which are three-and-a-half times the national average.

The inquiry has recommended youth centres and mental health facilities be built in many remote areas, including places like Katherine, Tenant Creek and in Arnhem Land.